Ceremony to award Yves Maufette and Yves Bergeron honorary doctorates from the University of Montpellier

[Press release] - Published on November 30, 2022 in Press Room

On Friday, December 2, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, will award honorary doctorates from the University of Montpellier to Yves Maufette and Yves Bergeron, both professors at the University of Quebec (Canada). The ceremony will take place on the Triolet Campus starting at 11 a.m., in the presence of Patrick Caron, Vice President in charge of international relations at UM, Jean-Michel Marin, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at UM, and Ahmed Adam Ali, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Sciences at UM.

By invitation only

What does the title "Doctor Honoris Causa" represent?

Created by decree on June 26, 1918, and whose origins may date back to the 17th century, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa pays tribute to foreign personalities who highlight and echo the values of the university through their contribution to the world of ideas, culture, arts, and sciences. Awarded during a formal ceremony, this academic title is the most distinguished and prestigious that can be conferred by the University of Montpellier.

Yves Maufette and Yves Bergeron, the two professors receiving the title of "Doctor Honoris Causa"

Yves Maufette, Associate Professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM): "The job of a university professor mainly involves teaching and research. Our training is primarily that of a researcher, and we often teach based on our intuition. In academia, our work is divided into three areas: research, teaching, and community service. In theory, these three tasks should be equally distributed. Research is the key activity, as it will largely determine the success of our academic career, from promotion to international recognition. The second component of the task, teaching, is less valued. Choosing to invest in university teaching involves certain risks, as we are straying from the beaten path. Changing the content of a course is one thing, but changing the university program in a field to a new teaching approach is almost senseless. Isn't training our students to better meet the needs of tomorrow a key issue? Research is progressing, so why not teaching?

Yves Bergeron, Professor at the University of Quebec in Atibi-Témiscamingue and the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM): "The Canadian boreal forest is one of the last remaining natural forests in the world, and it is under severe pressure. Traditional forest management practices have significantly reduced the proportion of old-growth forests. Fire, a source of soil disturbance that increases fertility, has been largely eliminated. Forest managers must find ways to replicate the main characteristics of natural forests through practices that mimic natural disturbances and forest dynamics. In this crucial area, France has a long history of forest management, and paleoecological approaches have been developed to reconstruct the past. Over the past 20 years, the paleoecological expertise of the University of Montpellier has been applied in collaborative and joint supervision projects in the cold forests of Canada, France, and elsewhere in the world.

Keywords: Ceremony, Honorary degree, International